Bob Gibbons said he's like Mike Dunleavy, only quicker. Clark Francis said he's like Trajan Langdon, only a better shooter.
Mike Krzyzewski said: Welcome to Duke.
One day after mass speculation reported sharpshooter J.J. Redick would commit to playing for the Blue Devils in 2002, the 6-foot-5 guard graciously accepted Krzyzewski's scholarship offer and became Duke's first recruit in his high school class.
"Just walking around Duke, you can tell it's a special place, especially when you're walking with [assistant coaches Steve Wojciechowski and Chris Collins]," said Redick, who made his second unofficial visit to campus last weekend. "My time with the players was great, and the coaching staff, I just love every one of them. It's a real family."
Despite his local proximity to both Virginia Tech and Virginia, Redick bypassed both schools and a score of other interested parties in order to choose the program he has been a fan of since the 1992 season. It was that year, when Duke won its second national championship, that Redick recalls watching his first college basketball game.
It was a game he would watch over and over and over again through the years-Duke 71, Michigan 51.
Years later, the tape of the game would be erased-J.J. says it was taped over with the Sound of Music, or something like that-but the vision remains the same.
Having watched the game once a week for the past eight years, Redick could recite
Yet, it wasn't until a couple weeks ago, when Krzyzewski personally visited Cave Spring High School, that the pair learned more than can be told on paper or a videotape. Although recruiting rules limited their conversations to mostly small-talk, the actions of each spoke louder than words possibly could.
In the poised and composed high school junior, Krzyzewski saw a future leader.
In the legendary coach, Redick saw a man dedicated to actively developing him both as a player and as a young man.
"It was great to have him at my school; I understood that he didn't do that very often and he was very committed to me," Redick said. "They told me they weren't just recruiting me as a shooter, they were recruiting me as a leader, too. I really took that to heart."
It wasn't long before Redick's mind was set on the place his heart always had been. After discussing his weekend with his parents, Ken and Jeane, Redick spent an hour and a half chatting with his high school coach Tuesday.
Halfway into the conversation, coach Billy Hicks listened as his star player spoke the words he always knew he would hear. J.J. Redick was ready to commit to Duke.
"He met with me at my house and said it was in his heart, that Duke was the place for him and that it was a perfect fit," Hicks said.
Rated as a consensus top-10 player in his class, Redick is drawing parallels to former Duke sniper Langdon and current Blue Devil Dunleavy, who is praised for his on-court decision-making. Redick himself shied away from comparisons to Langdon, but those who have seen him play have been brazen where J.J. has remained bashful.
"He passes the ball extremely well and I'd say he is a lot better shooter than Trajan Langdon, and that's not to knock Trajan Langdon," Hoop Scoop analyst Clark Francis said. "He is one of the best shooters in the country right now, I mean he is phenomenal."
Redick continues a string of what has been an unbelievable haul of guards in recent recruiting classes. Following in the footsteps of Jason Williams two years ago, Chris Duhon, Dahntay Jones and Andre Sweet last season and the recent acquisition of Daniel Ewing for 2001, Redick joins a backcourt that is riddled with talent.
Some would have looked elsewhere when confronted with such an abundance of top-notch talent; Redick saw it as an honor just to be associated with those players.
"Coach K didn't promise me anything [in terms of playing time]," he said. "I'd be absolutely flattered if I could play with Jason Williams and Chris Duhon. I hope they both stick around two more years because I want to learn from the absolute best."
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